The Thunder of Angels: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People Who Broke the Back of Jim Crow

by Donnie Williams, Wayne Greenhaw

Overview

The heroism of those involved in the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott is presented here in poignant and thorough detail. The untold stories of those, both black and white, whose lives were forever changed by the boycott are shared, along with a chilling glimpse into the world of the white council members who tried to stop them. In the end, the boycott brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to prominence and improved the lives of all black Americans. Based on extensive interviews conducted over decades and culled from thousands of exclusive documents, this behind-the-scenes examination details the history of violence and abuse on the city buses. A look at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trial, an examination of how black and white lawyers worked together to overturn segregation in the courtroom, and even firsthand accounts from the segregationists who bombed the homes of some of Montgomery's most progressive ministers are included. This fast-moving story reads like a legal thriller but is based solely on documented facts and firsthand accounts, presenting the compelling and never-before-told stories of the beginning of the end of segregation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781556526763
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	675,533
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.73(d)

About the Author

Donnie Williams inherited the bus made famous by Rosa Parks; in 2003 he sold it to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. He has spent many years interviewing those who witnessed and participated in the boycott. Wayne Greenhaw is the critically acclaimed author of 17 books, including Beyond the Night, My Heart Is in the Earth, and The Spider's Web. His work has appeared in The Miami Herald, The New York Times, and Reader's Digest.

What People are Saying About This

Denver Post

"A thoroughly researched and meticulously written account."

The Anniston Star

"A compelling read."

The Birmingham News

"A comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look."

BooksandWords.com

"Poignant and thorough."

The State

"A detailed, immediate, you-are-there approach makes for a great read."

The Mississippi Link

"Moving testimonies, accurate accounts and fascinating photographs."

Alabama Public Radio

"Williams and Greenhaw tell a good story."

The Bulletin

"A powerful, behind-the-scenes view."

Editorial Reviews

"A powerful, fact-filled narrative. . . A first-rate book."

The Decatur Daily

"A wonderful collaboration. This is a fascinating new look at the story."

Montgomery Advertiser

"A must read for every Montgomerian."

Montgomery Independent

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her seat on public bus #2857 in Montgomery, AL, prompting the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. Williams's father purchased the bus in the 1970s to ensure its preservation. He and coauthor Greenhaw (Beyond the Night: A Remembrance) aim not simply to tell the story of the protest but also to cast light upon E.D. Nixon, an organizer in Montgomery for many years before the boycott. They contend that the boycott does not owe its beginnings simply to Rosa Parks or to Martin Luther King Jr. but to Nixon's tenacity, explaining that it was Nixon who picked King to lead the protest. King's Stride Toward Freedom doesn't deny Nixon's galvanizing force but doesn't quite say what Williams and Greenhaw are saying here. Through extensive interviews, the authors uncover significant personal histories of the boycott, including, quite unsettlingly, those of KKK members who terrorized Montgomery at the time. Vividly narrated, though at times slowing for biographical background on the main figures, this work is compelling and brilliantly accomplished, giving Nixon deserved recognition. Recommended for public and academic libraries.-Jim Hahn, Harper Coll. Lib., Palatine, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"A wonderful collaboration. This is a fascinating new look at the story." —Montgomery Advertiser

"A must read for every Montgomerian." —The Montgomery Independent

"The Thunder of Angels tells the real story of the people involved in the Montgomery bus boycott.."  —Vernon Jordan

"An essential book for more fully understanding how the walls came tumblin' down."  —Studs Terkel

"Donnie Williams and Wayne Greenhaw find the history that haunts us, and write it smart, sharp, and hard."  —Rick Bragg

 

"A thoroughly researched and meticulously written account."  —Denver Post 
 

"Poignant and thorough."  —BooksandWords.com

 "A powerful, behind-the-scenes view."  —The Bulletin
 

From the Publisher